I arrived home to find my parents getting into their SUV. Parking beside them, I hopped out and walked over to the passenger side where my mom was placing a box of files in the back seat.

"You working the night shift again?" I asked.

She turned to me and gave me a half smile. "Unfortunately, we are. Got a call earlier today, but dinner is made so you don't have to worry about cooking. As always, you have our office number if anything goes wrong."

I nodded, and she gave me a hug. When we parted she reached up and ruffled my hair.

"I'm sorry we've been gone so much. I promise we'll take a vacation soon."

I gave her a fake smile because her and dad have been saying the same thing for years.

My parents are scientists. To be more specific, biologists. I knew they were working on important stuff for the government and any breakthroughs could be revolutionary for mankind, but I can't stand how much they are gone. They worked a lot when I was a kid, but now they are nonexistent. I can't remember the last time we were together as a family. All those days seem like forever ago.

"Alright hun let's get going. C'ya later bud," my dad called from the driver's seat.

I gave him a small wave, and my mother hugged me again and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "We'll see you tomorrow. Don't have too much fun without us."

"I won't," I replied.

She smiled and hopped into the vehicle. My dad placed the vehicle in reverse and began to back out. I turned to head to the house only to have my mother call out to me.

"Cyrus, some more letters came in the mail for you! They're on the kitchen table!"

"Okay! Thank you!" I shouted back.

"Have a good night, dear!" she said, waving at me.

I waved back, and they set off for work. With a heavy sigh, I entered the house. I kicked my shoes off by the front door before heading to the kitchen. I placed my bag on the table and picked up the stack of mail left for me. Flipping through each letter, my mood worsened. I had ten more offers from varying colleges. Not really in a caring mood, I walked over to the trash can and dropped the letters inside. While I wanted to go to college this isn't how I pictured it. I wanted to make it on my own terms. Not based on my inhuman abilities.

Ticked off, I made my way upstairs and into my room. Inside the white walls were decorated with posters of star athletes, a couple of family photos, and a bunch of drawings of her.

I was so attached to her. Ever since that year, I've needed her to feel any semblance of peace. My longing to see her eventually got so bad that the only way to satiate my need was to see her face. Which explains all the drawings. As to be expected, my parents sent me to therapy because they found my obsession unhealthy. In their defense, they weren't wrong, but the therapist said the drawings are a healthy coping mechanism and that there's no need to worry.

Groaning, I flopped down on my bed face first. I felt so drained, and the feeling only seemed to worsen every day. Rolling over, I stared up at my ceiling. Above me hung one of my favorite drawings. In this drawing there were two kids sitting in a tent. One had short brown hair and brown eyes. The other had long snowy white hair with pale blue eyes. I smiled as the memory flooded my mind, and it was one of my favorites because on that night I finally learned her name.

"Quit it," I said as she smacked with the pillow again.

"Or what?" she taunted.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I glared at her before setting my game boy down. Picking up my pillow I swung.

"Or this!" I shouted, but my attempt was in vain.

She ducked back and took another swing, which connected with my face. I fell back on my rear, and before I could retaliate she pounced on top of me. She grabbed both my wrists and pinned me. I started to struggle against her might, but it was no use.

"Come on, fight back," she began to taunt.

I mustered up all the energy I could and tried to shove her off, but nothing happened.

"Boring," she mused with a fake yawn, "Aren't boys supposed to be stronger than girls?"

I gritted my teeth in frustration, "You're so mean, sometimes. You know you're stronger than me so why ask?"

She gave me a toothy smile which showed her fangs, "I know. I just like to tease."

She relaxed her grip before rolling off to lay beside me. She picked up my game boy and looked at it.

"So whatcha playing?" she asked as she began to move the character on the screen around.

"Pokemon, duh. Have you never played a video game before? Anyone who has played video games would recognize Pokemon." I retorted.

She looked at me with those piercing, pale blue eyes, "I've actually never played one before. My parents say things like this are a waste of time and used to make humans mindless zombies."

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, well that means your parents are stupid. Video games are the greatest thing ever invented."

"Will you show me how to play?" she asked and held the system out to me.

"Of course!" I exclaimed as I took the game from her hand.

I started to show her how to play then paused to look at her.

"What?" she questioned with a concerned look on her face.

"Nothing, I just realized I don't know your name," I replied.

She laughed and said, "It's Lyla. What about you?"

I opened my eyes to find my phone buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out to see I was getting a call from Tyler. Then I saw the time in the top right corner. I dozed off for a whole two hours, but I don't remember falling asleep.

The phone continued to buzz, so I sat up and swiped up to answer. I brought the phone to my ear and instantly I could have music and people in the background.

"Yes, Tyler, how can I help you?" I asked.

His voice came through and he said, "Finally you picked up. This is like the tenth time I've called."

I checked my notifications and sure enough; I had nine missed calls.

"Sorry, I dozed off. What do you need?" I asked again.

"For you to get your lazy ass over here. This party is like top tier bro!" he said excitedly.

"I already…"

"Nuh-huh, I ain't buying any more of that, I have other obligations crap," he said mockingly, "Get your butt up and hightail it over now. Also, there may be a certain someone waiting for you to make an appearance."

I sighed, "You aren't gonna let this go are you?"

"Not a chance. I'll call all night and even come drag you here myself if I must."

I groaned, "Alright, let me get dressed and I'll be over as soon as I can."

"Great! I'll let Allison know you're coming," he responded joyfully.

"Wait don't," too late he hung up, "Ah great, what have I done?"

I slid off my bed and walked over to my closet and opened the door. Reaching up, I pulled the string dangling to my right and had to immediately shield my eyes. The light illuminated the small space, revealing the dangling articles of clothing. Through squinted eyes, I began to rifle through my wardrobe in search of something decent to wear. Eventually, I settled for a pair of blue jeans and a black polo shirt. Next I popped into the bathroom to brush my teeth and fix my hair before heading downstairs. Grabbing the keys to my car, I made my way to the front door and pulled on my shoes.

Exiting the house, I casually walked to my car and unlocked it. A shiver went up my spine and that feeling of being watched came over me again. I glanced over my shoulder to peer at the trees behind me. Now, either I was going insane or there was something starting back at me from the tree line. The creepiest part about the figure was the fact it's standing on two legs and its eyes were glowing a bright blue. However, the presence didn't feel threatening.

Yep, definitely losing my mind.

Any normal person would run for safety, but me, I turned to face the figure. I was confused for a moment as I scanned the treeline. Nothing was there. I was completely alone. I let out a sigh and slid into my car before shutting the door. I really needed to consider undergoing a psych evaluation because whatever Lyla did to me is making me a few screws shy of being nuts.